This invention relates generally to dispensing devices and packages. More specifically, the present invention relates to metering devices that can controllably dispense fluid media from a source of fluid media while simultaneously providing a construction for assisting in the delivery and application of the fluid media to a surface for treating that surface.
Various types of fluid material and media are employed for different purposes through commerce and industry. For example, there are various products in the personal care, home care, air care, transportation care, and food industries that require some type of dispensing of a fluid material from a source of such material. When this material is sold in commerce, it must be contained and stored in some type of container. When that product is used, it must be dispensed from its storage container to a location for use.
In the prior art, there are many different types of dispensers for delivering fluid material. For example, a flexible container body with a nozzle tip is commonly provided for such a purpose. An application of such use is for the dispensing of ketchup where the container body is squeezed by the user to urge the fluid material out from the nozzle tip and accurately to a desired location. The amount of fluid delivered is determined by the how much the user squeezed the container body. However, this yields erratic results where more or less fluid material is delivered on each successive squeeze of the container body. Also, the container must be held upright to avoid leakage because no valves are employed. Therefore, there is a need for a dispensing package that can deliver the media contained therein a controlled and metered fashion.
To meet this need, a flexible container holds a volume of fluid material to be delivered. A single one-way check valve is provided as an exit port from the flexible container. When the flexible body is squeezed, the material is urged out under pressure through the valve. In commonly owned Ser. No. 11/074,817, filed on Mar. 8, 2005, and U.S. Ser. No. 11/951,351, filed on Dec. 6, 2007 a dual valve construction is employed to provide for controlled metered dispensing of media from a package. However, these known devices require that the entire package be disposed of when the supply of media to be dispensed has been depleted.
There has also been a desire to not only dispense the fluid material but also to help apply them, such as to a surface. In the prior art, the squeezable container bodies have been equipped with some type of applicator head for this purposes. For example, in the home care cleaning industry, there are many types of surface cleaners that include a cleaning pad that contacts the surface to be cleaned. It is also common for the surface cleaning device to include an auxiliary supply of liquid cleaner to deliver directly to the surface to be cleaned. A supply of material is commonly mounted to the wand or handle of the device and a button or trigger is actuated to spray a desired amount of liquid cleaner to the surface in front of the cleaning pad on the device.
However, it is desirable to have the liquid cleaner be impregnated in the pad or be directed immediately under the pad rather than in front of the pad on the surface to be cleaned. In the prior art, there is a particular need for an effective device that can dispense fluid materials in a metered and dosed fashion where the liquid can be controlled. It is also desirable that the device be convertible between an upright wand-controlled cleaning device for floors, and the like, and a hand-held device that does not employ a wand or handle for non-floor surfaces, such as walls and countertops.
In view of the foregoing, the surface scrubber devices with fluid dispensing capabilities of the prior art suffer from various disadvantages that make them difficult and awkward to use with unexpected results. Therefore, there is a need for a surface scrubber that is easy to operate. There is a further need for the option for a surface scrubber to be to be capable of delivering a metered dose of fluid upon each dispensing operation directly below the surface scrubber itself for better application of the fluid material. There is also a need for such a dispenser to be less wasteful than prior art dispensers. There is also a need for surface scrubber that can be operated with or without an extension wand for flexibility of operation and use.